debt leads for sale

I owe a debt to creditors for a gym membership. Is their a statue of limitations for this debt to expire?

I signed a 3 year contract in 1998 for Bally’s gym in Orlando FL. The con artist/sales man lead me to belive it was a 1 year contract. In my youth and ignorance i signed the contract with no time limit filled in. He latter made it a 3 year contract. Now i have been sued by a creditor for refusal to pay. They garnished my checking and savings account. I need to know if i can ride this out a few more years. If not can i sue Bally’s or their rep for the money and trouble i have endured. I no longer have a copy of the original contract but i know i was conned and that is why i have refused to pay thus far. It is now causeing me serious problems.

In California a debt collector has 3 years from the date of the last payment to accomplish one of three things. He must either collect another payment (of any amount) so that the 3 year period restarts, OR collect the amount owed (including accrued interest) in full, OR file a civil suit against you in court.

If they succeed in collecting a payment from you, the 3 year period restarts and they have another three years to accomplish one of the 3 options.

If they get you to pay the amount in full, well obviously that brings and end to the issue.

If they sue you in court and win a judgement against you, they can enforce that judgement at anytime. If they get that judgement against you, they can place a lien on your home, car or bank accounts. Or they can just hold onto it and wait, and when they check up on you and find you have money, they pounce on your account and take it. The debt purchasing firm I used to work for loved to get judgements and then hold them to right around tax refund time. Then when someone deposited teir tax refund into their bank account….WHAM!…the company slapped a lien on it and took it.